Muthomi Ireri
In Mali’s capital, Bamako, donkeys are being employed to tackle the city’s mounting garbage problem. Yacouba Diallo, one of many garbage collectors in the city, relies on his two donkeys, Keita and Kanté, to pull his cart through the waste-clogged streets. With Bamako struggling under the weight of its growing refuse, Diallo is paid directly by households to collect their trash, earning up to $165 a month.
Donkey carts have become a preferred method of transportation for garbage collection due to their affordability compared to motorized vehicles. “I would like to do this work with a truck, but I don’t have the means to buy one, so I use the donkeys and the cart,” Diallo explains.
Like other collectors, Diallo takes the trash he collects to dump sites, such as the one in Badalabougou, where heaps of waste continue to pile up. The site’s managers keep track of the incoming carts and their drivers in a notebook, managing payments at the end of each month. “The advantage of using donkeys for this can’t be overstated. We work with the donkey carts; a car can’t even access this place,” says site manager Mamadou Sidibé.
This network of donkey carts operates independently of state oversight, highlighting the severe inadequacies in Bamako’s waste management system. The city’s population has more than doubled in recent years, further straining an already overwhelmed waste management infrastructure. State services are virtually non-existent, leaving the city to grapple with its escalating garbage crisis.
Experts point out the urgent need for improved infrastructure to address the growing piles of refuse. Waste management specialist and former city employee, Bamadou Sidibé, notes, “The institutions that must intervene and deal with the issue of waste management are not fully playing their role. For example, the state.” He emphasizes the need for the state to invest in proper infrastructure, including the construction of landfills that meet accepted standards. According to Sidibé, Bamako currently lacks operational landfills that are up to standard.
Local authorities acknowledge the waste problem but shift the blame onto residents, accusing them of neglecting their environment and health. Meanwhile, with no effective solution in sight, the towering mountains of trash in Bamako continue to grow.
Dj Vnyash
